Ronnie O'Sullivan opens Masters account with back to back centuries
O'Sullivan cruised past Marco Fu in the opening round of the Masters with a six frame whitewashing.
The Rocket has won the crown a record seven times and bids to make this year's event his third on the trot at Alexandra Palace.
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Davis is a legend of the game in his own right having won six World Championships, six UK Championships and three Masters titles.
O'Sullivan has been a dominant figure in snooker for over 20 years but Davis was still left stunned by his demolition of Fu.
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And it prompted the BBC pundit to make a case for O'Sullivan among some other sporting icons.
"I know it's irrelevant to some degree as there's all different sports out there," Davis said at Ally Pally.
"But we are blessed with one of the greatest geniuses the game has ever seen.
"I'd put forward the argument that, if you took the likes of Tiger Woods or Roger Federer - I know they're all fantastic - I reckon Ronnie O'Sullivan, in his own sport, is more of a genius than even those greats.
"I'll probably get shot down in flames by people who are fans of those sports.
"But as a [snooker] player, we know how difficult the game is.
"Look how easy he makes it look! He's an exceptional person."
O'Sullivan storms into the quarters finals where Mark Allen is the next man tasked with stopping the Rocket.